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Robert A. F. Thurman Heated words, cool mai.ick, deadly feuds, the furious rush of adrenaline anger is dearly the most destructive of the seven deadly sins. It can ruin families, wreck one's health, destroy peace of mind and, at its worst, lead to murder, genocide, and war. In Angrr. Robert A. F. Thurman, best-selling author and one of America's leading authorities on Buddhism and Eastern philosophy, offers an illuminating look at this deadliest of sins. In the West, Thurman points out, anger is seen as an inevitable part of life, an evil to be borne, not overcome. There is the tradition of the wrath ful Cod, of Jesus driving the money-changers from the temple. If Ciod can be angry, how can men rid themselves of this destructive emotion? Thurman shows that Eastern philosophy sees anger differently. Certainly, it is a dreadful evil, one of the “three poisons” that underlie all human suffering. But Buddhism teaches that anger can be overcome. Indeed, the defeat of anger is not only possible, but also the only thing worth doing in a life time. Thurman shows how to recognize the destructive ness of anger and understand its workings, and how we can go from being a slave to anger to becoming “a blight of patience.” We discover finally that when this deadliest emotion is transmuted by wisdom, it can become the most powerful force in freeing us from human suffering. Drawing on the time-tested wisdom of Buddhism, Robert A. F. Thurman ranges from the individual strug gle with anger to global crises spurred by dogmatic ideologies, religious fanaticism, and racial prejudice. He offers a path of calm understanding in a time of terrorism and war. usa $17.95 Anger Pride Michael Eric Dysoi Envy Joseph Epstein Anger Robert A. F. Thurman Sloth Wendy Wasserstein Creed Phyllis A. Tickle Gluttony Francine Prose Lust Simon Blackburn For over a decade, The New York Public Library and Oxford University Press have annually invited a prominent figure in the arts and letters to give a series of lectures on a topic of his or her choice. Subsequently these lectures become the basis of a book jointly published by the Library and the Press. For 2002 and 2003 the two institutions asked seven noted writers, scholars, and critics to offer a “meditation on temptation” on one of the seven deadly sins. Anger by Robert A. F. Thurman is the fifth book from this lecture series. Previous books from The New York Public Library/ Oxford University Press Lectures are: The Old World's New Worldby C. Vann Woodward Culture of Complaint: The Fraying of America by Robert Hughes Witches and Jesuits: Shakespeare's Macbeth by Garry Wills Visions of the Future: The Distant Past, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow by Robert Heilbroner Doing Documentary Work by Robert Coles The Sun, the Genome, and the Internetby Freeman J. Dyson The Look of Architecture by Witold Rybczynski Visions of Utopia by Edward Rothstein, Herbert Muschamp, and Martin E. Marty Also by Robert A. F. Thurman Infinite Life: Seven Virtues for Living Well The Tibetan Book of the Dead Circling the Sacred Mountain: A Spiritual Adventure Through the Himalayas Inner Revolution: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Real Happiness Essential Tibetan Buddhism The Central Philosophy of Tibet Anger The Seven Deadly Sins Robert A. F. Thurman The New York Public Library OXFORD 2005 OXFORD UNIVERSITY PUSS Oxford New York Auckland Bangkok Buenos Aires Cape Town Chennai Dar es Salaam Delhi Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kolkata Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi Sao Paulo Shanghai Taipei Tokyo Toronto Copyright © 2005 by Robert A. F. Thurman Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York, 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Thurman, Robert A. F. Anger : the seven deadly sins / Robert A. F. Thurman, p. cm. Includes bibliographical and index. ISBN 0-19-516975-1 1. Anger—Religious aspects—Buddhism. 2. Patience—Religious aspects—Buddhism. 3. Religious life—Buddhism. I. Title. BQ4430.A53T489 2004 294.3’5698—dc22 2004012549 All artwork appears courtesy of Tibet House U. S. Book design by planettheo.com 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
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